Feltristica
The only planet in the Eldridge Minor system, Feltristica is a partially terraformed world known for its barren landscape and the lizard-hunting that occurs amidst it. It was named by a Sezhri astronomer nearly two hundred years before space flight was even achieved, but the word's meaning is unknown. Its population is small and almost all centered around the hunting trade. For some time the Cult of Alcori maintained a temple on the world, but it was abandoned shortly before the AI Rebellion. The Battle of Eldridge Minor, the turning point of the Aresian-Outcast War, was fought above Feltristica. Ecology Thought early on to be a planet well-suited to terraforming, several stages of the process were carried out circa 80-90. A Class 1 atmosphere was achieved, but all efforts to purify the soil and reduce the iron oxide content were unsuccessful. There is very little flora on the world, with grasses being the only widespread plant. Although the planet is too close to its sun to create significantly different seasons, there are four fairly regular rainy periods, though they usually last four days or less. As a result, these grasses tend to grow green and bright for about a week before dying and seeding the ground, and the landscape is largely dead for the next 75 local days or so. Some smaller desert fauna was introduced to Feltristica, but the only larger animals are the vicious and numerous Granav lizards, originally native to Tau Prime. Their skins, although scaly, are a dusky golden-brown, soft, and supple and very desirable as a fashionable material (though not among social elite). It is used both in its natural form and made into its own brand of leather. On average, Granav lizards are 2.5 to 4.5 meters in length, and the record for longest lizard is 6.9088m. History Colonization As mentioned above, the terraformation of Feltristica occurred between 80 and 90. It was at the end of this period that animal life was introduced to the world. The creatures introduced did well, but none better than the Granav lizards. Only a few years after the terraformation project was abandoned, hunters began visiting the planet. What started small soon became an industry, and by 150, Feltristica's population had multiplied to over 50,000. It's population by the 460s had tripled, though nearly all the residents were linked in some way to the lizard-hunting trade. The only significant exceptions were members of the Cult of Alcori. The Cult of Alcori Because of its generally hostile environment, low population, and lack of a strong planetary government, the Cult of Alcori found Feltristica to be a ripe location for their central temple. Built secretly in 130-1, the massive complex was the center of the organization's terrorist and religious efforts for the next eighty or so years. The temple lay dormant for 250 years following the AI Rebellion, until the arrival of Erin Lavoisier and Kyle Resani. It was also the resting place of the Valkyrie, as it was called by the Cult: an alien starship built of black diamond, powered by an antimatter reactor, and possessing powerful weapons of an unclassified variety. Southern Wars Era Other than a population that had tripled since its initial days of colonization, there were only two significant events on Feltristica in the 460s. The first was the aforementioned arrival of Erin Lavoisier and Kyle Resani at the abandoned Alcoryn temple, searching for clues as to the identity of Koriyen. Erin, unknown to Kyle, was in fact the Sahl-Koriyen of the Cult, and the affair ended in his betrayal and death. After selling a fighter to Liam Redigan, who had tracked them there, she left the planet on the Valkyrie. She left in the company of Helen, an extremely powerful AI personality in the service of the Cult, left in the temple at the time of its abandonment. A month later, the Battle of Eldridge Minor was fought above Feltristica, on June 11, 467. The engagement didn't affect the planet or its inhabitants in any significant way, other than some minor damage caused by falling starship debris in the months to come. Several months later the Cult returned and began utilizing the temple as a base of operations again. In September, Ravenblack Elite Operations Unit arrived to investigate the temple and discovered its inhabitants. After escaping the temple, the Ares Federation sent a large task force to the planet to obliterate the threat. This precipitated the deadly Battle of Brandish, in which Aresian troops fought desperately through both the Alcoryn temple and the nearby settlement of Fort Brandish. After a long struggle, Koriyen made use of the Valkyrie and forced Aresian forces to begin a full extraction and retreat from the system. It is still remembered as one of the worst defeats in Aresian military history. Category:Planets